Smoke-inspecting device



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W. M. WIAMGBEW SMOKE INSPECTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 1926 5 Sheets-$heet aa/wewtcvc 306% 5a wag/av,

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April 16, 1929, A R 1,708,986

SMOKE INSPECTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 192 6 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 111:2. E 67' 59 J 6/ a6 6 //\9/ Y J 7 60 5 J 46 Law 3g 7 g: WWI/110% "l, 11 R. H. WAGE-IR 3 SMOKE INSPECTING DEVICE ltl Patents TED STATES ROBERT HUDSON WAGER, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

SMOKE-INttPECTIN'G DEVICE.

Application filed August t, race. Berta! No. 126,573.

The invention relates to improvements in devices used in connection with furnaces, particularly boiler furnaces tor the purpose of visuall inspecting and determining the nature o the smoke and gases in a smoke passa e thereof, so that it inay be readily ascertamed whether the air and fuel supplies are regulated to attain the best combustion, thereby not only efiecting fuel saving, but preventing the discharge of dense black smoke as well as invisible smoke or gases from the stack. Dense smoke issuing from the stack indicates imperfect. combustion due to insuihcient air, and lack ot any visible smoke may indicate that the fire is being supplied with too much air so that there is loss ol tuel due to heating the excess of air. in both of these cases, there is a lowering ot the temperature in the furnace and a loss ot both tucl and ediciency in the operation oi the plant.

Devices have heretofore been provided permitting visual inspection ot the smoke through vision tubes installed at opposite sides of a turnace smoke passage. lit has also been common practice to test the smoke their mally by insertion of the thermal element of a pyrometer into a smoke passage; and analysis ot samples ot' the combustion gases to get the percentages 0t UU tlU and li has also been employed, The thermal inspections or temperature readings are usu ally taken at diderent points between the lire-boa and the upper part oil the smoke stack, and they are useful principally when considered in connection with other inspections or tests ot the products ot combustion The analytical inspections or tests are made at intervals trom gases taken usually trom the last pass or uptake casing ot the boiler, and they require time and patience in the manipulation oil instruments. The visual inspections are the easiest to make and can be tairly depended upon provided the eye has been properly trained to recognize in the appearance of the smoke seen through the vision tube that the proper temperature and percentage oi? tit), is present.

The devices tor permitting visual inspec tion of the smokeand combustion gases have usually consisted oi" longitudinally alined tubes fixed in o posits sides oi the smokepassage with a light in one of the tubes and a glass in the other through which the ob server looks and views the products at com bastion passing between the ahned tubes. l

preferably connect my improved device with an average smoke chamber, tor instance, with the up-take of the boiler, and by so doing, visual inspections may be eiiected whenever desired and when the smoke conditions are thus 'isclosed, any regulation of draft and lust which may be necessary, may be made. The improved device like certain prior devices, embodies two tubes mounted in alinernent at o posite sides at a smoke passage, an electric bulb being mounted at the outer end ct one tube while the other tube is a vision tube through which a person may look either directly or by means of a mirror or a number of the latter, allowing the smoke in the passage to be readily viewed. it is one object of the invention to rovide a new and improved construction d relation ot parts whereb a mirror which would otherwise be en ose to the smoke in the vision tube, is e ectively protected against such smoke.

it turther aim of the invention is to im prove upon prior devices oil the above mentioned character, by the provision or novel encasing means tor the electric bulb, said encasing means being detachably connected with the lirst mentioned tube above reterred to, so that it may be removed bodily with the bulb and used as a trouble light should seine emergency arise making this desirable, the bulb being adequately protected against breakage and against grime and the like.

A still l urther aim is to provide a novel cap tor the bulb casing carrying a socket :tor the bulb and enclosing the electrical conned tions leading to said socket and making them water-tight.

"With the toregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinalter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawin "s,

ll ig. l is a side elevation partly broken away and in section showing the application ot the invention to the uptake casing ot a boil-- or turnace.

it is a vertical longitudinal section through the bulb and easing means and a portion oil the rearmost oil the alined tubes.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to lFig. a but illustrating the several sections in juntaposition and omitting certain parts.

4t, 5 and it are transverse sectional views on the correspondingly numbered lines at Fig. Fl.

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view through ill lltl

till

ltlti the foremost of the alined tubes and associated parts.

Figs. 8 and 9 are transverse sectional v ews on lines 8-8 and 9-9 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but illustrating the glass and mirror-carrier swung downwardly to permit cleaning.

In the drawings above brie y described, F designates a boiler furnace and B designates the uptake casing or smoke escape passage from the boiler.

Front and rear tubes 12 and 13 are rigidly mounted at opposite sides of the casing B in alinement with each other and may be rigidly secured to said casing by nuts 14 and suitable packing 15, by welding or in any other desired manner.

The tube 13 terminates at its outer or rear end in a cylindrical lamp casing 16 which contains an electric bulb 17, the inner end of said casing being closed by a lens 18 while a removable hollow cap 19 is provided for closmg the outer end of said casing, said cap supporting a socket 20 for the bulb 17 and serving to encase electrical connections leading to this socket. Quick-releasable connecting means are provided between the tube 13 and the casing 16, so that the latter may be quickly and easily removed for cleaning the lens 18 and when so removed, it will be seen that the unit formed by said casing and associated parts may be efiectively used as a trouble light, should circumstances arise making such use desirable. The bulb 17 is preferably of about 50 to 7 5 wattsof the daylight type, having a blue tint; and it will be seen that the lens 18 and the closure 19, efiectively protect this bulb against being broken or soiled, either when the casing 16 is applied to or detached from the tube 13.

The inner end of the casing 16 which carries the lens 18 is provided with a shoulder 21 snugly engaging said lens and the latter may be held against said shoulder by a conventional snap or split ring 22. This inner end of the casing 16, in the present disclosure, is provided with a pair of longitudinally tapercd, segmental flanges 23 at its periphery, these flanges being normally interlocked with similarly tapered, overhanging flanges 24 on a collar 25, the latter being threaded or otherwise mounted upon the tube 13. The collar 25 carries a groove-contained packing 26 against which the inner end of the casing 16 is forcibly seated when the flanges 23 and 24 are interengaged as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. By grasping the casing 16, however, and turning it in the proper direction, the flanges 23 and 24 may be readily disengaged, permitting easy removal of said casing.

The hollow cap 19 at the outer end of the casing 16 is of novel form. This cap includes a plate 27 abutting the outer end of the casing wall, the inner side of said plate being provided with an integral continuous flange 28 the screws 31 are tightened, the cap 19 is efi'ectively secured to .the wall of the casing 16 but by loosening these screws and turning said cap in the proper direction, the screws may pass out of the slots 32, permittinlg quick and easy removal of the cap.

cap plate 33 engages the outer edge of the flange 29 and is by preference formed with a continuous flange 34 fitting within said flange 29. This cap plate is formed with an opening 35 permitting the passage of it ourrent-conducting cable 36 from the exterior to the interior of the hollow cap 19, said cable containing two current-conducting wires 37 which extend laterally from it in the space between the inner and outer walls 2733 of the cap 19, and said inner wall (the plate 27) is formed with a pair of spaced openings provided with appropriate insulating bushings 38, through which the wires 37 pass, said wires being connected in the'usual way to the terminals of socket 20 which is mounted by screws or the like 40 upon the plate 27, said socket projecting into the easing 16 and having the usual threaded connection with the bulb. 17.

The cap plate 33 is not applied to the flange 29 until after the wires 37 have been threaded through the bushings 38 and pro erly connected with the terminal of the socl et 20, and said plate 33 may be secured in place by any desired means, such as the screws 41. Preferably, a bushing 42'is threaded into the opening 35 and surrounds the cable 36. This bushing may either be only of an insulating nature, or it may embody a packing 43 if desired, to effectively exclude water and foreign matter from the interior of the cap 19.

To permit insertion of a pyrometer and a part of a gas analyzing apparatus (not shown) the collar 25 is formed with two threaded openings 43 and 44 respectively, which openings are normally closed by screw plugs 45 and 46.

Threaded or otherwise mounted upon the front end of the tube 12 and locked thereon in any desired position by a set screw 47, is a collar 48 having openings 43 and 44, normally closed by plugs 45 and 46 respectively, these openings having the same functions as the openings 43 and 44, above mentioned. A carrier 49 refcrably in the form of an elbow is hinge at 50 to the front of the collar 48 and is normally held tightly against a packing 51 of this collar, by appropriate fasteners 52. This carrier 49 carries a glass or other transparent barrier 53 preferably held in place by a spring ring 54, and said carrier is also provided with a reflecting mirror 55 mounted in any desired manner. This mirror is preferably backed by felt or other yieldable material to take care of expansion and contraction of the glass, and it is held in place by a removable metal plate or cover, as shown in Figs. 7 and 10. At its lower side, the carrier 49 is equipped with a collar or hood 56 through which the observer. may sight across the uptake'casing B to the then illuminated bulb 17, permitting him to observe smoke conditions. lVhen the fastening means 52 are released, the carrier 49 may be downwardly swung upon the hinge 50, giving access to the barrier 53 for the purpose of cleaning or renewing the same. It may also be stated at this point, that by loosening the set screw 47, the carrier 49 and the assembly 57 may be swung to any desired position for satisfactory observation from suitable places on the fire-room floor. The screw 47 may then be again tightened to lock the parts in adjusted position.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided rather simple and advantageous means for carrying out the objects of the invention. While the details herein illustrated may be followed if desired, variations may of course be made within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim 1. In a smoke inspection device, atube for permanent mounting at one side of a smoke passage, a cylindrical imperforato lamp casing in alinement with said tube and disposed at its outer end, a grime-excluding closure for the outer end of said casing, a lens closing the inner end of said casing, means securing said lens to the lamp casing only in fixed angular relation therewith and establishing a smoketight connection between said lens and casing, and a quick-releasable connection between-said casing and said tube entirely independent of said lens-securing means, permitting the casing, closure, lens and lamp to be entirely detached as a single unit and carried to a point remote from the tube for cleaning the lens or for use as a trouble light if desired, said lens-securing means being unaffectcd by detachment of said unit.

2. In a smoke inspection device, a tube for permanent mounting at one side of a smoke passage, said tube terminating at its outer end in a cylindrical lamp casing. a removable 1101- low cap closing the outer end of said lamp casing, a lamp socket mounted on the inner wall of said cap and projectinginto thelamp casing, said inner wall having a pair of wire-receiv- 4 ing openings, while the outer wall is formed with a cable-receiving opening, and a currentpermanent mounting at one side of a smoke passage, said tube terminating at its outer end -1n a cylindrical lamp casing, a closure plate abutting the outer end of said casing and having continuous flanges projecting from and integral with its inner and outer sides, the inner flange being telescoped with the casing wall, a cap plate detachably connected with the outer edge of the outer flange and co-operating with this flange and the closure plate in forming an enclosure, said cap plate having a cable-receiving opening and said closure plate being formed with two wire-receiving openings, a lamp socket mounted on said closure plate and projecting into said casing, and a current-conducting cable entering said enclosure through said cable-receiving opening and having two current-conducting wires which extend laterally therefrom within said enclosure, said wires passing through said wire-receiving openings and being connected with said socket.

4. A smoke inspection device comprising a vision tube directly connected to a smoke passage, a casing having a light inlet connected with said tube, said casing also having a light outlet at an angle to said light inlet, a mirror in said casing between said inlet and outlet, a transparent smoke barrier closing said inlet and disposed between said mirror and saidtube to prevent entrance of smoke to said casing from said tube and thereby protecting said mirror against smoke, and hinge means permitting swinging of.the aforesaid barrier away from said tube to permit cleaning of the smoke-facing side of said barrier.

5. In a smoke inspection device, a collar for connection to a smoke-containing vision tube, a mirror-containing, light-conducting elbow abutting said collar and communicating at its light-inlet end therewith, a transparent smoke barrier closing said inlet end of said elbow against entrance of smoke from the collar and thus protecting the mirror from smoke, means hinging said inlet end of the elbow to said collar and permitting outward swinging of the elbow to clean the smoke-facing side of said barrier, and means for holding said elbow normally against such swinging.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ROBERT HUDSON WAGER. 

